Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) partners, representatives from the Indiana Adoption Program and the Indiana Heart Gallery, will hold an evening of fun at Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park in Fort Wayne October 5. This will be a great opportunity for families and individuals to learn more about adoption through foster care in a fun, informal setting and also enjoy a FREE night at Sky Zone. Light refreshments and drinks will be available as well as special door prizes from The Ball Hive, LLC. RSVP by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-northern-indiana-heart-gallery-family-event-on-foster-adoption-tickets-26805179012.

Representatives from the Indiana Adoption Program are called Adoption Champions and will be on-site to answer questions and provide information on Indiana’s adoption procedures.

“On average we are actively recruiting adoptive homes for 120 – 150 youth statewide,” said Sandra Caesar, DCS’ adoption program manager. “Every child needs a family they can call their own. We need families that are not only willing to love our children, but are also prepared to commit to them, claim them as their own and hang in there through their ups and downs.”

The Heart Gallery’s remarkable professional portraits and stories about foster children in Indiana help to put a face on a sometimes invisible need and remind families that adoption can change lives. There is no charge to see the Gallery.

LOCATION:

Sky Zone Trampoline Park

http://www.skyzone.com/fortwayne

401 Fernhill Avenue

Fort Wayne, IN 46805

WHEN:

Wednesday

October 5, 2016

5:00pm – 7:00pm

Additional Adoption Links and Information

· DCS and our partners focus year round on finding permanent families for Hoosier children of all ages, but especially older youth through resources such as the Indiana Heart Gallery and The Picture Book. Both profile and share stories of older youth currently in foster care and available for adoption. These stories and additional information about the Indiana Adoption Program are on the DCS adoption web page at www.adoptachild.in.gov, or you can call 888.25ADOPT.

· View Indiana youth up for adoption: http://www.adoptuskids.org/states/in/browse.aspx

· See all of the upcoming Adoption events, go to www.in.gov/dcs/adoptionevents

· To find adoption contacts in your county, please e-mail snap.

· For more information about the Indiana Heart Gallery, go to www.in.gov/dcs/heartgallery

About Indiana Heart Gallery:

The Heart Gallery is a traveling photographic exhibit the Indiana Department of Child Services created in 2007 to help find forever families for children in foster care. Venues generally include hospitals, libraries, museums and churches. There are more than 120 Heart Galleries across the U.S. and the exhibits have resulted in more than 5,000 children around the country finding adoptive families. With help from the Heart Gallery, more than 1,000 Hoosier foster kids found forever homes in state fiscal year 2014.

About the Indiana Adoption Program

The Indiana Adoption Program is a statewide initiative to find adoptive homes for Indiana’s foster children. Local Adoption Champions (ACs) hold events throughout Indiana to help their community understand the adoption process, the need for adoptive homes, and the needs of children waiting to be adopted. ACs provide information, materials, and answers to your questions.

About Indiana Department of Child Services:

The Indiana Department of Child Services (www.in.gov/dcs) protects children from abuse and neglect and works to ensure the financial support of children. Indiana Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline: 800.800.5556. Child Support Customer Service Kidsline: 800.840.8757 or 317.233.5437.